Although backed by the financial muscle of Manchester City’s owners, City could struggle to recover from the departure of their brilliant Spanish striker David Villa after four years at the club this season. Villa has been replaced by Romanian striker Alexandru Mitrita, who cost a sizable $8.5 million transfer fee.

DC United had a great start to the season, beating MLS Cup holders Atlanta United 2-0 at Audi Field, with goals from Paul Arriola and Luciano Acosta. That’s a result that could give them great self-belief for the rest of the season.

There was an instant chemistry on the pitch between Wayne Rooney and Acosta for DC United following the former’s arrival last season. The club will be banking on more of the same this season, although Acosta did have a failed move to Paris Saint-Germain in the close season which could potentially affect him adversely.

New York City FC vs DC United Betting Lines & Pick

In the Match Result betting lines, the line on New York City is -125 with William Hill, with the odds on the draw being +284 with Unibet and DC United being available at +350 with bet365.

In terms of our MLS football predictions, this looks as though it could be a relatively tight game, so the draw could be the likeliest outcome and so that looks to be the best bet here.

In terms of Correct Score betting, a 1-1 draw looks a reasonable possibility at +650 with bet365, while it could also be worth having an interest in Wayne Rooney as an Anytime Goalscorer at +120 also with bet365.